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–+ servings
composting worms in castings.

DIY Worm Composter

Vermicomposting allows you to turn kitchen waste into a rich garden amendment. A worm bin -- a layered unit that houses worms who will eat your garbage -- doesn't take up much space, it doesn't stink, and the worm castings are very high in nutrients. 
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 1 unit
Author: Kris Bordessa, National Geographic author

Equipment

  • Drill fit with an 1/8″ bit

Ingredients

  • 2 5-gallon buckets nesting
  • 1 Bucket lid
  • 1 Newspaper
  • Red wigglers
  • Kitchen scraps

Instructions

  • Drill 10 to 15 holes in the bottom of one of the buckets. This allows excess liquid to drain.
  • Add several handfuls of kitchen scraps to the bucket.
  • Place the red wigglers on top of the kitchen scraps.
  • Shred newspaper. Thoroughly wet the shredded newspaper; allow to drain for a moment then place it atop the worms to a depth of about six inches.
  • Put the bucket with the worms inside the second bucket and put on the lid. The bottom bucket serves the purpose of catching any liquid that leaches from the active bin.
  • Add a handful of scraps every two-to-three weeks, tucking them under the newspaper. As the worm colony grows, they can process more scraps. Add more when the worms have eaten through most of the scraps in the bin. The worms will multiply based on how much food is made available to them.
  • When there's a substantial amount of dark brown worm castings, it's time to harvest. Stop adding new scraps for a few weeks. Dump the entire contents of the worm bucket onto a piece of cardboard and expose it to sunshine. The worms dislike light and will crawl to the bottom of the pile. Carefully remove castings from the top of the pile, repeating several times until you've harvested most of it.
  • Put the worms back into the bucket, and start anew.

Notes

  • A worm bin of this size is best suited to a single person or couple. You can use the same method with large plastic storage containers for a larger household.
  • When the top bucket begins to get full, you can add a second perforated bucket. Just add moist newspaper and scraps like you did during set up, and add it to the stack. Make sure the top bucket is resting on the waste in the bucket below. The worms will slowly migrate up through the holes.
  • When the contents of the first bucket are transformed into worm castings, simply pull out the middle bucket and use the rich worm castings on your potted plants.
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